Recent trends in the field of spread products have been directed to the development of reduced fat or substantially fat free products which also possess a smooth and creamy mouthfeel, as well as a texture and lubricity which approach the texture and mouthfeel of edible fat containing food products. While low and no fat spreads are desirable, it has been observed that spreads having less than about 40% fat suffer from severe emulsion instability after prolonged storage at refrigerator temperature. Pools of oil and moisture are observed in such products and it is believed that the fat of the products recrystallize upon storage causing the emulsion instability problem.
To address this problem, in part, substantial work has been carried out with bulking agents such as powdered and microcrystalline cellulose in fat-containing and reduced fat food products. U.S. Pat. No. 5,011,701 and patents cited therein relate to the preparation, or use of various types of cellulose in food products. However, reducing the fat content of spreads by including substantial levels of cellulose products, such as microcrystalline cellulose, adversely affect the organoleptic properties of the products and create undesirable mouthcoating or drying sensation.
Microcrystalline cellulose has been used in low and reduced calorie food formulations as both a carbohydrate thickening agent and as a fat replacer. Generally with the adverse results discussed above.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,286,510 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,209,942 deal with the adverse effect in salad dressing products by combining a colloidal microcrystalline cellulose with a cold water swelling starch in combination with various gums and alginate derivative.
Although this combination works well in a salad dressing, the large quantities of microcrystalline cellulose and starch severely affect the organoleptic properties of a spread product.
Heretofore, the preparation of a low fat spread containing a microcrystalline cellulose yet having excellent fat functional mimetic properties while using relatively low energy processes has not been completely satisfactory.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to overcome one or more of the disadvantages of the art with the benefit of producing a low fat spread with the taste and functionality of a full fat product which is also squeezable and effective to produce.